Jealousy
by The Apocryphal One
Summary: "I have a tail too, you know," he grumbled. Azura gave him a strange look. "No, you don't." Corrin/Azura.


A/N: Disclaimer: this is my first time attempting humor, alongside humor/fluff, so apologies if it fails to make you laugh or smile. Anyway, this came about from me reading Kaden's supports, which involve several of the women gushing over his "fluffy tail", and wondering how Corrin would react to learning that Azura's one of them. Those two have angst aplenty in the game, they could use some light-heartedness.

Takes place on _Birthright,_ though it could fit _Revelations_ with some tweaks.

* * *

 **Jealousy**

Prince Corrin of Hoshido and Nohr was many things to many people. His subjects knew him as being courageous, righteous, and true. His enemies knew him as being a bit too naïve, a bit too much of a dreamer, but no less a skilled warrior and shapeshifter. His friends knew him as having no concept of personal space and a tendency to put his foot in his mouth, something they took great delight in teasing him about. Despite his naivety and somewhat lacking grasp of social norms, however, he was intelligent, charismatic, loyal, and an overall nice guy. In short, everything a prince should be.

He was still a man, though, and like all men are prone to do, he fell prey to the simple emotion of love: namely, for the beautiful princess Azura. They'd first met some months ago, amidst the Hoshidan royal family, and had instantaneously forged a strong connection. He'd been attracted to everything about her from the start, from her blue hair to her lovely voice to her sharp wit, and, as is often the case when attraction and friendship meet, his feelings had eventually turned to love.

Corrin had confessed his feelings to her about two months ago, and been delighted when she told him they were reciprocated. And for a time, the couple had floated on the intoxicating giddiness and bliss of exploring their new relationship.

For a time.

For you see, Corrin was still a man, and a man in love. And like all men in love, he tended to dislike his paramour fawning over other men.

Namely, Kaden.

Azura would never cheat on him or betray him, he knew that, but that didn't stop him from inwardly scowling whenever she cooed over the kitsune's tail or petted his ears. And it wasn't just her—every woman in the army was apparently under the compulsion to gush about Kaden's "fluffy tail" and nonsensically try to bury their faces in it. Most men would find being treated like a pet insulting, but Kaden hardly seemed to mind the attention. And maybe it was his jealousy speaking, but Corrin would swear he'd even seen him smirk about it once or twice.

Perhaps it was some spell? Some kitsune magic that only worked on women? It had to be; he couldn't find any other explanation for why they'd flock to the ginger. He certainly couldn't see what was so alluring about the fox's tail, and neither could the other men in the army—he'd asked them!

But, no, wait—Kaden was in a relationship, too. He had no reason to bespell the entire female portion of their army. Then how and why were they so drawn to him?

It was this mystery that the platinum blonde was musing over as their company partied and celebrated that night. It was some Hoshidan holiday, one he didn't know the name of—thanks to the, ahem, unusual circumstances of his childhood, he was woefully unaware of his birth nation's customs. However, they'd been passing by a village throwing a festival for said holiday, and common sense dictated he allow his comrades to take a break from the war and join in the celebrations. Which led to the current predicament.

Many of the army had separated, going in their own directions to try out the various activities among the festival. Kaden, however, had proven to be an instant hit with the village girls, who were all crowding around the kitsune, and had decided to forego the festivities in favor of basking in their attention. He was doing so not too far from the sake booth Corrin was sitting by, and the squeals of the girls made their way over the bustle and music as they fervently stroked his fur.

Azura was among them. As was Sakura.

And that! That was the ultimate insult! Corrin's grip on his cup of sake tightened until the wood cracked. Wasn't it enough for the fox that he had the attention of every woman he met _and_ the love of Corrin's life? Did he really have to enthrall his little sister too? Glowering, he downed his drink, relishing how it burned his throat, and waved the stall owner over for a refill. He enjoyed the occasional alcoholic beverage as much as the next person, but he needed _far_ more than he'd had to endure _this_.

Several minutes (and cups) later, he was half-heartedly toying with the thought of ordering the kitsune onto the front lines for the rest of the war, when he noticed Azura and Sakura making their way towards him, chatting animatedly. Well, the latter was—the former was simply listening with her lovely soft smile, occasionally tossing in a comment of her own. Just watching two of the most important people in his life getting along so well—though why shouldn't they, they'd grown up together—filled Corrin with affection, and he felt his sour mood dissipate.

At least until they came within earshot.

"….it's just _so fluffy_ , you know? I can barely tear myself away." Sakura gushed. Azura— _his_ Azura—giggled and nodded. "I concur. It's not fair that it holds such power over us, but Kaden's tail is just…"

"…too adorable for words!" Sakura finished excitedly. Azura slipped delicately onto the bench next to Corrin, her slender fingers wrapping around his automatically. Normally the half-dragon would have squeezed her hand, but as is his uncharacteristic sulking prevented him from returning the affection.

Sakura shot a look back at Kaden and groaned. "Gods help me, I can't resist. It's too cute. I have to go back and stroke it again. Just for a few more minutes!" With that the miko rushed back to that evil woman-and-sister-stealing fox, tossing an absent-minded "oh, hi big brother!" over her shoulder as she went.

Azura chuckled and dropped her head into the crook of Corrin's neck. "It really is irresistible."

"I have a tail too, you know," he grumbled, and immediately balked. _Did I really just say that_?

Apparently he had, for Azura gave him a strange look. "No, you don't."

The prince flushed. _Crap. I think I had too much to drink._ "Well…sometimes. When I half-shift." To prove his point he tapped his dragonstone, focusing on a partial transformation. There was a flash of light, and then he sprouted the horns, wings, claws, and, yes, tail, of his dragon form (there was a cry of alarm from the stall owner behind him, which he ignored). Another flash of light, and they vanished as he dismissed them.

Azura blinked. "Okay. You have a tail. Why did you bring it up?"

He shifted uneasily. "No reason." Involuntarily, he glanced at Kaden again, and the girls flocking around and cooing over him.

Azura followed his gaze, and Corrin cringed as watched her connect the dots. To his horror, she started laughing. "Oh my gods. You're _jealous_."

He _really_ hated being so pale. It meant his entire face turned red when he blushed—as it was doing now—and it was a dead giveaway for his feelings, meaning he couldn't even deny Azura's conclusion. Though perhaps he could blame it on the amount of sake he'd ingested? He'd had quite a bit, after all…

Before he could (futilely) do so, the songstress patted his knee, still giggling. "Corrin, I promise you, you have nothing to be jealous of."

"Then why don't you call _my_ tail cute?" Gods, could he _sound_ any more like a petulant child?

"For one, you don't always have it." Azura had managed to bring her laughter under control by now, though she was still smirking, and her golden eyes had a playful glint in them. "For another…yes, I think Kaden's tail is cute. I also think kittens and puppies are cute." She arched an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that 'cute' was emasculating for a man, since it implies vulnerability and a desire to snuggle."

"Well…"

But Azura wasn't done, apparently. In one swift motion, she swung herself onto his lap, causing him to start at the sudden proximity. His hands automatically came up to her waist to steady her as she straddled him. She smiled impishly and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Your tail, though? When you actually have your tail, I think it's _sexy_."

His brain fizzled out at that. "W-what? Wait. Wait, wait, wait. You…you do?"

Azura just smiled again and pecked him on the cheek. She shifted around so her back was to his chest and settled in, apparently comfortable where she was. "Mhmmm."

Corrin blinked, still reeling from what she had just dropped on him.

Then he chuckled and shook his head. "I was being an idiot, wasn't I?"

"Mhmmm."

"I should have just talked to you about it, shouldn't I?"

"Mhmmm."

"I never had anything to worry about, did I?"

"Nothing whatsoever."

The prince felt a wry and—dare he say it—somewhat smug smile cross his face as he dropped his chin on top of her head. "Well…good to know."

And for a few moments they sat in companionable silence, watching the merriment around them.

"…It wouldn't hurt if you fawned over it a bit less, you know."

Azura titled her head back so she could see him, arching a delicate eyebrow. "It wouldn't hurt if you stopped touching other people's faces."

He groaned—honestly, people _never_ tired of poking fun at that habit. From the way they carried on you'd think he was some sort of creep. "Look, I'm a touchy-feely person, okay? And I'm still getting the hang of this 'socially acceptable' thi—wait a minute."

Corrin straightened in his seat, eyes wide as a mental candle lit in his head. He stared down at Azura, who had suspiciously turned her face away, a light dusting of red on her cheeks. A grin broke out on his face, and delighted laughter burst out of his throat. " _You're_ jealous!"

"…." Her silence only confirmed it.

 _She's adorable._ Giddily, he squeezed Azura and dropped a kiss in her hair. "Well, don't be." He couldn't keep the smirk out of his voice as he added, "Azura, I promise you, you have nothing to be jealous of."

"Don't turn my words back on me."

"What was it you just said—that I should just talk to you about it?"

" _Corrin_."

"What?" he asked innocuously. "I'm just saying."

She huffed, but she was fighting back a smile, and despite her harsh words her tone hadn't been angry. He relented anyway, giving her midrift an apologetic squeeze. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. But if it helps, I don't mean anything by it. Yours is the only face I'd…" He stopped, frowning. "I don't think there's a good way to finish that sentence."

"Probably not," she chuckled. "And yes, I know. It still bothered me, but it just seemed so…silly to ask you to stop, so I didn't."

Corrin stared at her. "That's exactly why I didn't bring up Kaden before now. I didn't want to come across as some possessive jealous guy over something that seemed so trivial." It _was_ trivial, now that he thought about it. She loved him and he loved her. What did it matter that she found fox tails cute? He certainly wouldn't have cared if the tail she'd been petting had belonged to an actual fox. The whole thing had been blown out of proportion from the start.

More silence, as they gaped at each other in shared astonishment at their mutual absurdity.

"…We're quite a pair, aren't we?"

"Indeed."

* * *

A/N: The ending for this was super painful to write. Like aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh.


End file.
